XML 35 R22.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.8.0.1
Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

17.

INCOME TAXES  

The determination of the Company’s overall effective tax rate requires the use of estimates. The effective tax rate reflects the income earned and taxed in various United States federal and state jurisdictions based on enacted tax law, permanent differences between book and tax items, tax credits and the Company’s change in relative income in each jurisdiction.

On December 22, 2017 the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation referred to herein as the Tax Act. The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code, including, but not limited to (1) a reduction of the U.S. federal corporate tax rate and (2) bonus depreciation that permits full expensing of qualified property.

The SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (“SAB 118”), which provides guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Tax Act enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740, Income Taxes. In accordance with SAB 118, a company must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting under ASC 740, Income Taxes is complete. To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in the financial statements. If a company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it should continue to apply ASC 740, Income Taxes on the basis of the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Act.

The Tax Act reduced the corporate tax rate to 21 percent, effective January 1, 2018 and provided for bonus depreciation that allows for full expensing of qualified assets placed into service after September 27, 2017.  The Company’s accounting for the reduction of the corporate tax rate and bonus depreciation that allows for full expensing of qualified property is incomplete. However, the Company was able to determine a reasonable estimate of the impact of the corporate tax rate reduction and bonus depreciation that will allow for full expensing of qualified property. Consequently, the Company recorded a provisional decrease to deferred tax liabilities of $173 million with a corresponding adjustment to deferred income tax benefit of $173 million for the year ended December 30, 2017 related to the reduction of the corporate tax rate. Additionally, the Company recorded a provisional increase in net deferred tax liabilities of $4 million with a corresponding adjustment of $4 million to other long-term liabilities for the year ended December 30, 2017 related to bonus depreciation that allowed for full expensing of qualified property. The income tax effects for these positions require further analysis to prepare the accounting related to the income tax effects of the Tax Act in reasonable detail. No adjustment to the provisional estimates recorded for the year ended December 30, 2017 was recorded in the 13-weeks ended March 31, 2018. The accounting for these items is expected to be complete when the 2017 U.S. federal income tax return is filed in 2018.

The Company estimated its annual effective tax rate for the full fiscal year and applied the annual effective tax rate to the results of the 13-weeks ended March 31, 2018 and April 1, 2017 for purposes of determining its year-to-date tax provision.

The effective tax rate for the 13-weeks ended March 31, 2018 of (7)% varied from the 21% federal statutory rate, primarily as a result of state income taxes and the recognition of various discrete tax items. The discrete tax items included a tax benefit of $19 million, primarily related to the reduction of an unrecognized tax benefit due to the receipt of an affirmative written consent from the IRS to change a method of accounting and a tax benefit of $2 million, primarily related to excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation. The effective tax rate for the 13-weeks ended April 1, 2017 of 23% varied from the 35% federal statutory rate, primarily as a result of state income taxes and the recognition of various discrete tax items. The discrete tax items included a tax benefit of $6 million, primarily related to excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation.